The National Tourism Organization of Montenegro (NTO CG) will participate for the first time in the “FITUR 2024” fair in Madrid from January 24 to 28, 2024.
This international fair, one of the largest in Europe due to the high number of exhibitors and visitors, will host Montenegro’s delegation led by the Director of NTO CG, Dr. Ana Tripković Marković.
She emphasized the significance of Montenegro’s presence at this fair for establishing contacts with this market, especially considering that Madrid is home to the headquarters of significant tourism organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
During the fair, the Director of NTO CG had numerous daily meetings with interested new partners. She also met with representatives of the company Expedia, with whom NTO CG had an exceptionally successful campaign in the UK market. Additionally, together with the Executive Director of Montenegro Airports, Vladan Drašković, she held meetings with representatives of airlines Volotea, Eurowings, and Easyjet. Discussions focused on the introduction of direct flights to Montenegro from Spain and various models of potential collaboration.
“Although this is our first appearance and presentation of the unified tourism offer of Montenegro at the FITUR fair in Madrid, we are pleased with the interest expressed during the first days of the fair. We have established contacts with airlines and tour operators with whom we hope to have future collaboration that will lead to an increase in the number of tourists from the Spanish market. According to official data, around 13,000 tourists stayed in Montenegro in 2022, generating over 36,000 overnight stays. We believe that, with good cooperation and marketing campaigns, these figures can easily be increased. Spaniards, despite having an excellent tourist offer in their country, love to travel and explore new destinations. Montenegro is very interesting to them due to its diverse offerings and attractive pricing,” said the Director of NTO CG, Dr. Ana Tripković Marković.
The Montenegro stand was visited, among others, by a representative of the Embassy of Montenegro in Madrid, expressing satisfaction that Montenegro has made the best use of the opportunity to present itself in the Spanish market.
Representatives of tour operators featuring Montenegro in their offerings highlighted it as an attractive destination, and discussions were held with them about potential joint marketing campaigns.
“Montenegro is a very important destination for Spanish tourists, who love to travel around Europe the most. Our clients are looking for routes that combine culture, history, and gastronomy, and your country is rich in these offerings, whether we talk about the coast or the mountainous part. Tourists no longer want to spend their holidays in one city; they expect tours and adventure, and Montenegro is truly an excellent choice for that. I know how much our clients are looking forward to the diversities that await them there. We are ready to collaborate with travel agencies and organizations from your country because there is certainly a lot of work ahead of us,” said Rafael Montoro, Marketing and Promotion Manager of the leading Spanish tour operator “Mapa Group.”
Almudena Teulon, the owner of the travel agency “Se Vive,” which offers packages for Montenegro, shares a similar opinion.
“Spanish tourists who want to explore the entire country, visit all the beaches, see as many attractions as possible in one day, experience cultural and historical monuments, try various types of food and wine, and afford all of this choose to travel to Montenegro. Montenegro is an ideal choice for family vacations, active tours, and relaxation away from the crowds,” said Teulon.
A significant recommendation for traveling to Montenegro came in the form of an award presented to Montenegro during the fair at a ceremony organized by FITUR and AireLibre magazine. The recognition was awarded for the best tourism product, “Paths of Katuns, Montenegro,” a route that promotes natural potentials and active tourism. The aim of this award is to promote the development and marketing of the tourism offer both nationally and internationally. In addition to the diploma presented to the director of NTO CG, Dr. Ana Tripković Marković, as part of this award, Montenegro will receive additional promotion through the distribution of press releases to the media and the publication of a two-page article in the AireLibre magazine, which reaches around 5 million readers in both print and digital editions.
FITUR, during its five days in 2023, gathered a total of 222,000 visitors, with 136,000 being tourism professionals. Expectations for this year are for even higher numbers.
In addition to NTO CG, Montenegro’s tourism offer was presented by Avala Resort & Villas, travel agencies Gold Travel DMC and Talas M DMC, as well as the local tourist organizations of Podgorica and Herceg Novi.
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